That video is excellent, Suskie, and I thank you most deeply for introducing me to it. I don't know why, but I do find Bane's voice and particularly his diction hilarious in all circumstances out of context.

Yeah, it feels it shouldn't be that scary or even very impressive. I mean, the graphics are not great, the premise is fairly thin (no pun intended), the challenge almost feels random—but every time I play it, I end up swearing out loud and losing hope.

And FUCK that bathroom. You'll know what I mean when you get there.

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

First, the positive: This game actually, genuinely gave me chills. It utilizes just enough atmospheric effects and sound cues that its jump-in-your-seat scares feel more like buildup-and-release than cheap shocks. I know this is a generic thing to say about a horror game, but it really does need to be experienced in the right conditions: in a dark room, with the headphones on. You really need to be entrenched in Slender for its scares to work, and they do.

My problem with the game -- and it probably won't surprise you to hear me say this -- is that it doesn't really serve any higher purpose. I did some reading, and not only is impossible to "win" Slender (since you can't actually defeat him, as I suspected), but the pages are more or less a placebo since the game's difficulty ramps whether you're collecting them or not. To play it again knowing that is to subject yourself to discomfort without really accomplishing anything. That's unsatisfying and I don't really see myself booting up Slender again anytime soon.

So, very cool (and frequently effective) experiment, but not much of a game.

That's more or less my complaint, Suskie, except that I actually like to be scared. I think my main reason for liking Slender is that it's a quick fix for delivering scares. I don't have to start up and go through a whole playthrough of Silent Hill or Fatal Frame to be scared shitless; or worse yet, starting a new game and not finishing it.

Just the same, I think I would have liked this game a lot more were it more fleshed out.

No, to be perfectly honest, I agree with you Suskie that's it not an enjoyable game. Like I point out, I don't enjoy it. But it is, as Joe says, a quick fix for fear and an interesting study of how to make it happen. I also think it is a game that would lose some of what it's about if it got even an iota more complex, like adding a story or a point or an ending. It's just a game a keep away that scares the piss out of you.

That said, they are remaking it into a much more advanced and fleshed out experience that will also, undoubtedly, cost actual money to play.

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

After the most recent update of Slender the game suddenly became nigh-impossible to complete. I've gotten 6 pages at most before the douche just pops up right behind me. And yes Zipp, screw the bathrooms!!! I made it a point to get the bathroom page first after the first two times Slender cornered me in there. I keep playing it because I want to unlock the other modes the game has that only unlock when you beat it once, but I've yet to overcome that darn guy.

I've been pretty good at dodging the guy and I've gotten pretty close, especially the times where I do the bathroom early on, but two things inevitably kill me.

One, I must admit that I have been so shocked before by his sudden appearance and that damn music that plays when he shows up that I've dropped the mouse off my desk.

Two, and this is by far the most often occurrence, I get so worked up by the constant jump-out scares and the feeling that I shouldn't stay too long in one place, that I lose my way in the woods or get confused while searching at a landmark for the page and end up taking too long. He does get faster and more persistent if you wait too long, while your stamina drops and your flashlight begins to show less of an area.

Note to gamers: when someone shoots you in the face, they aren't "gay." They are "psychopathic."

Wonderful read, Zipp! I like that you reference similar scenes from other games, and also talk about the psychological aspects of the game.

As far as "fleshing it out," I didn't necessarily mean adding a story or making it more complex. I think adding more modes while keeping it simple and surreal would be nice.

As far as story goes, though, the game kinda has a story already. I think it borrows the concept of collecting notes from the web series Marble Hornets, which is a found-footage web show dealing with a couple college filmmakers who run afoul of Slender Man/The Operator. I'll leave it at that.